Thaksin's Family Not Fleeing, But Flying Out Of Thailand

[webfact]

Thaksin's family not fleeing, but flying out

By Naya Jaikawang

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughters will be leaving for Switzerland tonight, their close aides said yesterday.

Pinthongtha and Preathongthan Shinawatra will first stop over in Zurich before heading off for Germany to keep a previously arranged business engagement, the aides said, noting that the trip was purely business with no political connections.

Meanwhile Thaksin's ex-wife Pojaman na Pombejra, their son Panthongtae, will remain in Thailand though they plan to leave the country soon, the aides said.

Though the media is paying close attention to the whereabouts of key political figures, reasons about how they could be connected to the red-shirts' mass rally remain unclear.

Newin Chidchob, de-factor leader of the Bhum Jai Thai party, has reportedly left for London where, according to Pheu Thai Party's chief adviser Chalerm Yoobamrung, he has set up a war room to order a crackdown on the red shirts.

Bhum Jai Thai's spokesman Supachai Jaisamut, however, dismissed the allegations saying that Newin was just visiting his son in London and would return later this month.

He added that the party and the Interior Ministry, run by the party leader Chaovarat Chanweerakul, had no plans to disturb the demonstration if it was peaceful.

The opposition Pheu Thai Party, however, appeared busier than usual as the red-shirts prepare for the rally.

Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a former executive of the now-defunct People's Power Party, was seen at the Pheu Thai headquarters yesterday, though nobody could explain why he had shown up now when nobody has caught sight of him there over the past year.

Yongyut is said to be a key figure connected with Thaksin though his role in the protest remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Shinawat Haboonpat, a key leader of the red group, said his group would take only three days to topple the government, adding that about 70 per cent of the Bangkok taxi drivers would be joining the rally and farmers would bring down heir e-taen tractors to Bangkok.

-- The Nation 2010-03-10

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[staccato]

Meanwhile Thaksin's ex-wife Pojaman na Pombejra, their son Panthongtae, will remain in Thailand though they plan to leave the country soon, the aides said.

The other paper, which describes them all as fleeing and not flying out, describes how Potjaman and Panthongtae fled yesterday to Hong Kong and the two daughters will flee today. Apparently they all fear the unrest forthcoming and are worried about being taken hostage when the situation turns violent.

[Wolfie]

Here we go...

[ronwparker]

Typical.He spends millions to stair up as much trouble for the Thais as possible then makes sure he and his family are far away

[gotlost]

Do Run Run.

[timekeeper]

they will all be sipping champagne somewhere in $500 a night hotel watching the misguided poor of this country going to battle on their behalf

same Shinawatra family, same Shinawatra principles-cowards, thieves and traitors, one and all.

[Insight]

He's not stupid enough to sacrifice his own lambs is he?

[animatic]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

[staccato]

they will all be sipping champagne somewhere in $500 a night hotel watching the misguided poor of this country going to battle on their behalf

same Shinawatra family, same Shinawatra principles-cowards, thieves and traitors, one and all.

They'll probably also be cheering on more people like this guy

Meanwhile, Shinawat Haboonpat, a key leader of the red group

to have their names legally changed like he did.

Not that it entitles him to any of the real perks of actually being in the Shinawatra clan, but the hero worship is appreciated by them.

One correction to my earlier post. Potjaman and Panthongtae fled to Hong Kong on Monday, not yesterday. The girls will be fleeing to Germany today.

[animatic]

they will all be sipping champagne somewhere in $500 a night hotel watching the misguided poor of this country going to battle on their behalf

same Shinawatra family, same Shinawatra principles-cowards, thieves and traitors, one and all.

Can't fault your logic here...

What part of

'these people are the ultimate elitists',

does the Red rank and file just not grasp?

[SomTumTiger]

Time to get out the Thaksin Theme Song.

Sung by Cool"Power and the money, money and the power

Minute after minute, hour after hour

Everybody's runnin, but half of them ain't lookin

It's goin on in the kitchen, but I dont know what's cookin

They say I got ta learn, but nobody's here to teach me

If they cant understand it, how can they reach me?

I guess they can't -- I guess they won't

I guess they frontin; that's why I know my life is outta luck, fool"

[Wolfie]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

If the man had any balls he would fly into the country (or cross by land) Thursday/Friday and lead the protests... i am fairly sure his dedicated red shirt followers would keep the police away from him (and lets be honest here, if you were a Thai policeman, would you try to arrest him if hes surrounded by 100,000 loyal supporters?)

His family leaving the country is clear evidence that *he* is expecting something to go down... If this were to be the peaceful protest the reds claim, why does his ex-wife and offspring need to flee the country? Yes indeed, this does not bode well... even my Thais friends are very concerned about this weekends activities, most of them getting out of BKK this weekend.

Time to hole up with a case of beer and a load of Mama noodles, this could be a rough ride guys!

[SomTumTiger]

Agreed. All my Thai friends are indeed worries as well. I think that the reds really have no chance here, but the last gasp of a dying man can sometimes be quite strong.

[staccato]

Probably worth noting that for all the fleeing around she's doing, Potjaman remains a convicted criminal in her own right with a 3 year prison sentence hanging over her head. Her conviction appeal remains pending.

[staccato]

and further, the other character mentioned

Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a former executive of the now-defunct People's Power Party, was seen at the Pheu Thai headquarters yesterday

is also still awaiting his criminal proceedings for attempted murder on an elderly couple.

[Gonzo the Face]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

If the man had any balls he would fly into the country (or cross by land) Thursday/Friday and lead the protests... i am fairly sure his dedicated red shirt followers would keep the police away from him (and lets be honest here, if you were a Thai policeman, would you try to arrest him if hes surrounded by 100,000 loyal supporters?)

His family leaving the country is clear evidence that *he* is expecting something to go down... If this were to be the peaceful protest the reds claim, why does his ex-wife and offspring need to flee the country? Yes indeed, this does not bode well... even my Thais friends are very concerned about this weekends activities, most of them getting out of BKK this weekend.

Time to hole up with a case of beer and a load of Mama noodles, this could be a rough ride guys!

A new species of bird has been reported.....

It is described as somewhat like a Robin-Red-Breast except

This one is reported to be red with a yellow stomach......

does anyone recognize the species ????

[LuckyLew]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

If the man had any balls he would fly into the country (or cross by land) Thursday/Friday and lead the protests... i am fairly sure his dedicated red shirt followers would keep the police away from him (and lets be honest here, if you were a Thai policeman, would you try to arrest him if hes surrounded by 100,000 loyal supporters?)

His family leaving the country is clear evidence that *he* is expecting something to go down... If this were to be the peaceful protest the reds claim, why does his ex-wife and offspring need to flee the country? Yes indeed, this does not bode well... even my Thais friends are very concerned about this weekends activities, most of them getting out of BKK this weekend.

Time to hole up with a case of beer and a load of Mama noodles, this could be a rough ride guys!

You got that right ... Thaksin ain't got no nards

Too bad the poor reds shirts ain't got no brains

[bangkokrick]

they will all be sipping champagne somewhere in $500 a night hotel watching the misguided poor of this country going to battle on their behalf

same Shinawatra family, same Shinawatra principles-cowards, thieves and traitors, one and all.

Can't fault your logic here...

What part of

'these people are the ultimate elitists',

does the Red rank and file just not grasp?

They just do not grasp, as you say Animatic.

If anyone is injured or indeed killed during this nonsense, Thaksin should take full responsibility for his actions. He puts the lives of his countrymen on the line, while he directs from afar. He should be held responsible because without him this event would not be taking place. The chance of it being a peaceful protest and lasting for 3 days is at best slim.

Cheers, Rick

[lazygourmet]

"You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner."

Aristophanes, 450-388 BC, Greek dramatist

[scorecard]

Guess I missed something.

My understanding was that pojaman was not able to leave Thailand because of her conviction on tax evasion, now on appeal.

Anybody know the real situation on this, please?

[tonywebster]

If they said they were staying and attending the rallies they would get slated for incitement, they leave the country they get slated. maybe they should just sit at home and wait for the stitch up that will surely follow.

[quiksilva]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

If the man had any balls he would fly into the country (or cross by land) Thursday/Friday and lead the protests... i am fairly sure his dedicated red shirt followers would keep the police away from him (and lets be honest here, if you were a Thai policeman, would you try to arrest him if hes surrounded by 100,000 loyal supporters?)

His family leaving the country is clear evidence that *he* is expecting something to go down... If this were to be the peaceful protest the reds claim, why does his ex-wife and offspring need to flee the country? Yes indeed, this does not bode well... even my Thais friends are very concerned about this weekends activities, most of them getting out of BKK this weekend.

Time to hole up with a case of beer and a load of Mama noodles, this could be a rough ride guys!

My normally unflappable Thai boss, who last year brushed off any fears I had about the protests at that time, has taken a decidedly different stance this time around. In his words it could be "very bad"...

Animatic, sadly it seems they will not be able to read these signs for what they are, instead they will blindly believe whatever the Shinawatras tell the reporters, after all in their mind they are the good guys who put rice on their plate.

^^ Tony, I wish everyone would just sit at home this weekend!

Edited March 10, 2010 by quiksilva

[Wolfie]

If they said they were staying and attending the rallies they would get slated for incitement, they leave the country they get slated. maybe they should just sit at home and wait for the stitch up that will surely follow.

Actually, in my eye they would get more respect if they attended/lead the rallies... they would loose no respect if they sat in their Bangkok home and waited/watched... but loose a bucket load of respect for fleeing a few days before it all starts...

[SomTumTiger]

Thanks for that ridiculous insight from Tony. Saying that they are "Damned if they do, and damned if they don't" isn't accurate. They are damned because their family is financing the poor to fight for them, and they are too cowardly to join them in the fight. Daddy's money buys a lot, and we don't need to get our hands dirty.

Scum.

[saintofsilence]

Surely there must be a large amount of red shirts from last year that just wont turn up for this protest after Thaksin being found guilty and violence last big rally ,cant see it being as big as they are expecting.

[bangkokrick]

Thanks for that ridiculous insight from Tony. Saying that they are "Damned if they do, and damned if they don't" isn't accurate. They are damned because their family is financing the poor to fight for them, and they are too cowardly to join them in the fight. Daddy's money buys a lot, and we don't need to get our hands dirty.

Scum.

Just about sums it up SomTum!

Cheers, Rick

[SomTumTiger]

It won't - certainly nowhere close to a "million". They could round up 100,000 though, but they can't afford to pay them for a long protracted peaceful protest, so its "all or nothing" time, with the militant red wing getting ready to cause trouble.

Stay home, let the authorities keep the peace, and join in ridiculing Thaksin Shinawatra - the evil incarnate who made all this possible.

[Donnyboy]

how could we expect anything else?

[jayjayjayjay]

Yes Wolfie, you're on the mark,

this is the final signal that things will go Pear Shaped...

A replay of the BS. and disinformation of Songkran last,

as he let his little cockroach like spawn scuttle off to the shadowy corners.

Such as truly sad family.

I thought he was referring to your posts.

Anyway, we all know the purpose of this trip. The girls are collecting billions of USD held in Swiss bank accounts(in safety deposit boxes alongside the Marcos's) to covertly fly back into Khon Kaen. The flight is planned but very hush hush at the moment. I know so coz a Cambodian border guards cousins maids sister, my personal secretary, is neice of Hun Sen, and this trip is to bring lots and lots of dollars to north eastern gullible in-need-of-reeducation red puppets. A Thai traffic controller also published the highly secretive flight plan from Phnom Penh last night, but he is unavailable for interview at the moment. Anyway, there supposedly are 22 x 18" trucks heading to the Khon Kaen airport to carry the stash to secretive hiding caves somewhere deep in the remaining 30cm of water in the Mekong. Should the caves be found by PADi divers, the Shinawatra family have organized a school the remaining Pangasianodon gigas (Giant Mekong Catfish) to transport the cash in safe keeping down river into Thaksin's safe-haven Cambodian Mekong Villa. The catfish will be given 500baht in return for there devotion. Let's just hope this whole sinister plan can be blown apart by Yunan Government cutting of water or cargo companies throwing more dynamite in the river. Peace JJJJ

[bubba]

And by contrast, there are people like Nelson Mandela, who stayed in his country and spend 27 years in prison for doing what he thought was right against an unfair government.